Crisis Response

Responding to the crisis in Yemen

Escalating armed conflict since 2015 has dramatically worsened Yemen’s chronic poverty and fragility, creating a crisis of unprecedented magnitude in what was already the poorest country in the Arab region.

In a country of 27 million people, tens of thousands have been killed or wounded and 3 million have been forced to flee their homes, and are now internally displaced. With food supplies disrupted, hunger, stunting, and starvation are increasingly common—even as prices surge, incomes plunge or vanish, and people are forced to buy food and other necessities on credit.

UNDP’s Response

UNDP is responding in ways that promise maximum immediate impact at the community level, helping vulnerable people meet their most urgent needs while building resilience to future shocks. Working with local partners, we are improving service delivery and local governance to help Yemen to build back better and stronger than before.

We are helping people get back to work so they can become self-sufficient again, helping restore basic services such as health care, and contributing to peace-building. UNDP is also supporting UN political efforts to prepare for implementation of an eventual peace deal.